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Omweso dictionary
The following is a collection of Omweso-related terms and expressions recorded in Uganda. Luganda - English ;akakyala: (lit. "feminine") knock-out victory worth two points in a match (see rules of Omweso) ;akawumbi: (lit. "billion") a rare case of emitwe-ebiri worth six or twelve points in a match (see Omweso rules) ;buteba: the first seed dropped in okutebuka ;ebiri: (lit. "to cut off") the second count of the referee in a Blitz match, when a player hesitates too long; if he hasn't moved at the end of this word, he loses his turn to the opponent (see also omu) ;ekisibe: (lit. "irreversible game") moves may not be taken back ;ekiti (pl. ebiti): memory aid in counting scores ;ekutema: see okutema (Tamale 2005) ;ekyeso kyolutentezi oba ekitayalika: (lit. "non stop/unending move") never-ending move (game to be repeated) ;eky'obutabala: (lit. "without counting") Blitz Omweso (moves must be immediately answered) ;eky'okubala: (lit. "counting") players may think as long as their opponent doesn't demand that a move must be done ;emitwe-ebiri: (lit. "to cut off the head") to capture the contents of the the four ultimate holes (on the left and the right ends) of the opponent's rows ;empiki (also mpiki) : the seeds of the Wild Banana (Musa acuminata), called in Uganda omuyiki, that are used as counters in Omweso ;essa (pl. amasa): the pits of the Omweso board ;kyeso: opening moves ;kyeso kyansanve: (lit. "the seventeen opening") a popular opening pattern in the 1930s (recorded by Shackell 1935) ;kyeso kyanyinya: (lit. "the fourteen opening") a popular opening pattern in the 1930s (recorded by Shackell 1935) ;luiki: the seeds of a bush (Mesoneurum welwitschianum) used as counters to play Omweso ;mpiki: short for empiki (Braunholtz 1931) ;mweso: (short for:) Omweso ;okubbira: to cheat ;okukoneeza: special victory condition (see Omweso rules) ;okulayira: calling out an okutema (see proverbs for particular okulayira) ;okutambuza: to sow (Tamale 2005) ;okutebuka: (lit. "to go back") to move in a clockwise direction; reverse move (Shackell 1934) ;okuteeka: the distribution of seeds at the start of the game ;okutema (or ekutema): (lit. "to chop") double victory worth two points; it is achieved through emitwe-ebiri ;okutta: (lit. "to kill") to capture seeds ;okwa bulijo: a normal victory worth one point in a match situation; it is achieved when the opponent can no longer move. ;okwalika: the right to move first at the start of the game ;okwesa: 1. sowing (counterclockwise); 2. an inauguration ritual of the Buganda kings involving a game of Omweso ;omu: the first count of the referee in a Blitz match, if someone hesitates too long; see also ebiri ;omugobe: loser ;omweso (also mweso, omwesso or mweisho; pl. eznyeso): 1. the national mancala game of the Baganda people in Uganda; 2. omweso board Omweso Sayings and Proverbs Sayings used in the game ;"Jjajjnage Nnamuguzi e Kasagga." "My ancestors Nnamuguzi and Kasagga!" - an okulayira. (Nsimbi 1970) ;"Kino kye kyeso ekitayesebwa namuko!" "This is the opening one dos not play with one's brother-in-law!" - Said about a player who is several points behind in a match when he sows the first seeds. The brother-in-law plays in Uganda the same role as in Europe the mother-in-law. He may give his sister to sombody else, if he dislikes the man. (Shackell 1935) ; "Ku lwa Kabaka!" "In the name of the King!" - Said in the Baganda kingdom before somebody was decapitated. Today a victory through emitwe-ebiri is announced by this phrase. (Shackell 1935) ;"Kyeso kino ye musota g(i)uli mu ntamu." "This is the snake-in-the-pot opening." - Ironic saying which said for a complicated opening. It refers to another Baganda proverb: "If you leave the snake in the pot, you get nothing to eat. If you try to smah the snake, you will break the pot." (Shackell 1935) ;"Nkuyege zigulya!" "Hurry up or the white Ants will eat the board!" - Said when a player thinks too long over his next move. (Shackell 1934) ;"Nnannyinimu ali ku bbali."'' "My friend, the guest!" - an okulayira. (Nsimbi 1970) ;"Omugobe tansooka kuwera!" "The loser doesn't precede me in swearing loyalty and bravery." - Usually the loser starts the next game, but the winner can insist to start if he says this proverb. (Nsimbi 1970) ;"Omweso enkuyege zigulya!"'' "The board is eaten by white ants." - similar to "Nkuyege zigulya!"; to demand a move in eky'okubala. (Nsimbi 1970) ;"Toleka bafu mabega." "Leave no dead bodies behind!" - Said when somebody forgets to remove captured seeds from opponent's pits during a move. (Nsimbi 1970) Proverbs used in daily life ;"Akimanyi nga mweso." "He knows it like a game of Omweso." - A person who is an expert on something is compared to an Omweso master. (Nsimbi 1970) ;"Akutté mú lya 'mpiki." "He has put his hand in an empty hole." - The situation of a person who find his belongings missing, is compared to a player who all of a sudden finds an empty hole where he had hoped to collect seeds. (Nsimbi 1970) ;"Gw'oyigiriza okwesa akugobya." "A person whom you've taught Omweso, can beat you with 16 seeds." - a student can exceed his teacher's skills and wisdom some day. (Nsimbi 1970) ; "Mumpi ng'empiki." "He is as small as an empiki." - Metaphorical for a very small man. (Nsimbi 1970) References ; Braunholtz, H. J. : The Game of Mweso in Uganda. In: Man: A Monthly Record of Anthropological Science 1931; 31 (July): 121-122 plus Plate G. ; Nsimbi, M. B. : [http://repositories.cdlib.org/international/asc/ops/ops6/ Omweso: A Game People Play in Uganda (Occasional Paper #6) ]. University of California, African Studies Center, Berkeley CA (USA) 1970. ; Shackell, R. S. : Mweso: The Board Game. In: Uganda Journal (Kampala, Uganda) 1934; 2 (July): 14-20. ; Shackell, R. S. : More about Mweso. In: Uganda Journal (Kampala, Uganda) 1935; 3 (July): 119-129. ; Tamale, S. : [http://www.feministafrica.org/05-2005/feature-sylvia.htm Eroticism, Sensuality and Women's Secrets among the Baganda: A Critical Analysis]. In: Feminist Africa 2005 (5). ; Wernham, B. : Omweso: The Royal Mancala Game of Uganda (Boardgames in Academia V). Paper presented at Board Game Studies Colloquium V, Barcelona (Spain) 2001 (21th-25th April). Copyright ''© Wikimanqala. By: Ralf Gering. Under the CC by-sa 2.5. Category:Omweso Category:Mancala Dictionaries